Promotion of Women in Research and Teaching

"Gender equality is a guiding principle of the University of Regensburg, and it is taken into account in every university process."

This programmatic statement is reflected in UR's statute and all its strategic documents. It addresses Article 4 of the Bavarian Higher Education Act from May 23, 2006, which declares that gender equality is the mission of every university. Since this date, all of UR's guidelines and concepts have reflected this mission.

To exemplify this, UR's mission statement (2007) promotes gender equality by ensuring equal opportunities for men and women, by taking different life situations into consideration, through promoting career and family life compatibility, and by combatting gender discrimination in the workplace. In the 2020 (2011) development plan, the improvement of equal opportunities and family-friendly conditions in every area were made binding, and these aspects have been further enhanced in the university's 2025 development plan. 

The target agreement for the period until 2022, which was prepared in cooperation with the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts in 2019, contains significant measures addressing gender equality in academia. 

Passed with broad committee participation in April/Mai 2018, UR's Equality Concept 2018-2022 introduced development objectives for the coming years.

For more information, please continue reading the Equality Concept 2018-2022 ... 

Despite years of effort, UR still has too few female professors, and the gap between men and women continues to widen at the doctoral stage. In comparison to men, a lower proportion of women achieve an academic career at research assistant level, and women are even more underrepresented in Habilitationen and professorships. 

On December 1, 2017, the statistical survey date, only 15.5 percent of all professorships at UR were held by women. This means that there were 264 male professors and only 50 female professors. 

However, since that date UR has appointed a number of female researchers to professorships, so the outlook for the next survey date is very optimistic. 

To ensure that this positive trend continues, UR actively strives for equal opportunities in its appointment procedures, for a quota which follows the cascade model for tenure-track positions, and for enhanced career and family compatibility for female professors. 

For more information, please continue reading the Equality Concept 2018-2022 ...

Young researchers are educated and employed in various ways. This is especially evident at a comprehensive university such as UR, being strong in research and with its own university hospital. Therefore, UR seeks to expand individual support for its female researchers under the level of permanent professorship. This support system is oriented towards the central topics of the qualification process for young researchers, as defined in the 2017 Bundesbericht Wissenschaftlicher Nachwuchs. 

Central topics: 

• predictability of academic career
• working and employment conditions
• internationalization
• quality assurance during academic qualification
• equal opportunities
• compatibility of family and academic career

The consulting and funding instruments for this heterogeneous group of female early career researchers (ranging from doctoral candidates to adjunct lecturers) are differentiated by taking into account the respective job and financial situation (non-permanent, permanent, scholarship, external funding). 

For more information, please continue reading the Equality Concept 2018-2022 or take a look at existing provisions for female early career researchers ...

Over the past years, the proportion of female students at UR evened out at about 60 percent. This figure, which is above average, can be explained by the extensive range of study programmes available at UR as well as by its high number of teacher training programmes. 

Therefore, the measures for female students are focused on enabling mothers to go to university, encouraging female students to study subjects in which they are underrepresented, and promoting outstanding female students in order to motivate them to seek leadership positions in the future. 

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UR's family services offer a very high standard of care: nearly 450 childcare places on or near campus, flexible childcare during nearly all of the Bavarian school holidays and in urgent individual cases, and a family-friendly campus with parent-child rooms and a playground. Established in 2007, UR family service is a service providing personal advice and information for all UR members. Family-friendly study and examination regulations, as well as family-friendly working conditions, are in place to facilitate the compatibility of family and career or studies. 

However, UR is aware of the fact that a family-friendly atmosphere requires constant reflection and vigilance on the part of all UR members, for instance, concerning family-friendly course times, childcare provision at every conference and university event, and continuous access to counselling and information. 

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UR faces the common purpose of ensuring equal opportunities for men and women in research and teaching as well as family and career compatibility. To implement this, the sensitivity, awareness, and cooperation of all UR members is needed.

For more information, please continue reading the Equality Concept 2018-2022 or take a look at existing provisions for female early career researchers ... 

click here for more information for female students ...

click here for more information for students who are parents ...

click here for more information for female professors ...

click here for more information for female early career researchers ...

click here for more information for academic employees who are parents ...

According to the Bavarian Gender Equality Act, equal opportunities officers and their deputies are responsible for employees who support academia in the administrative and technical departments. 

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Click here for more information for academia support employees who are parents ...